Doggies got mojo

Rock promoter Andrew Ryan was gazing out of the South Fremantle Football Club’s windows and planning a concert for Fremantle Oval, while council staffers were gazing back from the forward pocket and pondering how to bring a bit of life to the Doggies’ clubrooms.

In one of those “Freo moments” their gazes locked and Rock Rover, the port city’s newest live music venue, was born.

Mr Ryan runs Cool Perth Nights, which owns Mojo’s in North Fremantle and books live gigs for the Rosemount Hotel in North Perth.

He says running Rock Rover in the footy club’s headquarters is a great way to kick off Freo council’s plans to redevelop the oval with a stronger community focus.

• Take it from the top: Tom Fisher won’t be laying about at the Reclink Cup, hoping to pick up a few goals as full forward for the Bandgropers who are after their fourth win; promoter Andrew Ryan’s good mojo led to Rock Rover; Bulldogs CEO Tom Bottrell finally gets his mug amongst the celebration of the club’s 1997 grand final win against arch-enemies East Fremantle (captain John Dorotich’s muscly biceps obscure all but the plucky defender’s eyebrow in the mural behind); Carla Geneve’s heading to the top with her music; and Vanessa Thornton’s already been there courtesy of Jebediah.

The first concert kicks off Friday September 7 with Thornlie wags Southern River Band, supported by Spacey Jane, The Shakeys and Heavy Flow.

The following day the oval’s back in community hands again for the fourth Reclink Community Cup, where Perth musos crawl out of bed to take on media types and pollies in a friendly footy fundraiser.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt’s leading the Newshounds onto the field this year, while the Bandgropers will feature musos from Sugar Army, Tommyhawks and The Love Junkies, some of whom will later perform in a Rock Rover concert in the clubrooms.